Photos and videos published with the customs statement suggest that the titles were produced by the British publishing house Usborne Publishing. The books shown include: “Dinosaurs That Met Santa Claus”, “Eggs and Chickens”, “Space Puzzles”, “Children's First Game Book”, “My First Book About Writing” and “First Questions and Answers: What's Inside Me?”
Critics say Russia's “extremism” laws are being used to restrict access to foreign literature and tighten controls on the import of cultural works since Russia invaded Ukraine.
The British publishing house suspended cooperation with Russia
Customs officials said the shipment weighed 12.7 tons and was valued at PLN 140,000. pounds (PLN 690,000) and contained “extremist content”. The announcement stated that the official expert opinion confirmed the presence of “forbidden information”, but did not specify the details.
The order for the books was placed by a Russian company specializing in educational publications and foreign-language literature. The British publishing house Usborne suspended cooperation with Russia in 2022, but its books are still imported to Russia.
